


Sundaze

by softestlad



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Lazy Mornings, M/M, Married Life, No Angst, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Tenderness, i am create tendercore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 23:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21382174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softestlad/pseuds/softestlad
Summary: Robert and Aaron have the world's softest Sunday.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Comments: 13
Kudos: 115





	Sundaze

**Author's Note:**

> my heart is still broken and i needed to?

**8.30AM**

Aaron opened his eyes slowly, blinkingly, the room still puddled with dark. He adjusted enough to see Robert’s face directly in front of his own, sharing his pillow and his air. His leg was threaded between Robert’s thighs, Robert’s arm laying the length of Aaron’s spine.

“Wh- time is’t?” Robert mumbled. Aaron shrugged, a tiny movement, not wanting to disturb this close hold, this close moment.

“Dunno,” he said, quietly. “You have owt on today?”

Robert shook his head, nuzzling further into the pillow, his eyes halfway closed again and his hand stroking up and down Aaron’s back thoughtlessly.

“So I get a whole sleepy Sunday, alone, with you.” Aaron murmured, the image of Robert’s face becoming clearer and clearer to him in the cotton-soft darkness of the early winter morning.

“Looks that way,” Robert tilted a smile. “Whatever shall we do?” Robert ground his hips so his crotch pressed into Aaron’s leg, and Aaron smiled sleepily back.

“We could do that,” he said, pecking a light kiss to Robert’s lips, resting his hand on Robert’s hip where his sleep tshirt rode up in the night. He was so warm and smooth and lovely under Aaron’s hands. “Or…” Aaron lightly grazed his lips against Robert’s forehead. “We could go back to sleep for a bit. You’ve been working like the clappers at the haulage lately – don’t think I hadn’t noticed the stress. Takes you ages to get to sleep at the moment. You could probably use an extra hour or two.”

“Hm. Sleep, or getting stuck into the profoundly fit man in my bed. Choices, choices.”

“Sleep,” Aaron gently pressed. He nudged Robert’s nose with his own, cuddled in closer to Robert’s chest, didn’t give a shit what time it was or whether there was still a world outside their bedroom door. “I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

Even in the dim light Aaron saw the way Robert’s face relaxed at that. “We’re getting old and boring,” Robert jibed, already half back to sleep, the movements he was making on Aaron’s back slowing down, becoming more fragmented.

“Was the plan all along though,” Aaron said, closing his own eyes, letting the dark roll over them in a soothing caress, letting the day wait. “Til we’re eighty yeah?”

Robert snored. Aaron smiled.

They slept.

**10AM**

When Aaron woke again his face was resting on Robert’s hip, arm thrown across Robert's lap.

Robert must have registered a movement, and looked down at Aaron from where he was sitting up, book in hand.

“Mornin’ you,” he said, threading a hand through Aaron’s sleep-mussed hair.

“Didn’t you go back to sleep?”

“I did,” Robert said, turning down the corner on his book, setting it down among the ripples of their quilt. “Not been awake long myself. Didn’t wanna disturb you.”

Aaron sat up, leaning against the headboard, head tilted back. Robert glanced at the line of his throat, but Aaron reached over before he could make something of it and pressed Robert’s book back into his hands.

“You stay here, yeah? Carry on with your readin’ and I’ll get us a brew and brekkie.”

“What have I done to deserve this?” Robert said, watching Aaron clamber out of bed, pull on a hoodie and walk to their bedroom door in just that and his underwear. Liv stayed over at Gabby’s the night before, so Aaron felt alright about wandering around semi undressed. He made an executive decision; they were keeping the doors locked today. No unexpected pop ins. Just a day for them.

Aaron shrugged. “S’almost like I like spending time with you and want you to be happy or sommat? Daft, but.”

“Did I hear sommat about brekkie?” Robert said pointedly, opening his book and shooing Aaron out of the room for his cheek. Aaron grinned into his own chest, hand gripping the doorframe and just taking a moment to look. Their bedroom walls the frame and his husband the most beautiful picture. Pooled in their blankets, knees pulled up to rest his book on. Taking time for himself to relax, when he worked so hard for them. Aaron would never have believed he could have this, but here it was. The perfect picture.

He grabbed them up a tray of tea and toast, nothing fancy, then tossed on a packet of those posh biscuits Robert got in Hotten for good measure. When he laid the tray back on the bed and Robert spotted them, he smiled.

“You know me so well,” Robert said, tearing into the biscuits. Aaron was happy with a Rich Tea, but he couldn’t deny Robert’s weird artisanal cookies had a nice caramel scent, something sweet and mellow that he’d humour to be dunked in his tea.

“Too right,” Aaron said, leaning in for a kiss. When they parted, he nodded to the book on Robert’s lap. “So,” he said, tearing a off his toast, “Tell me what this one’s about then.”

**2PM**

They had settled in for a cosy afternoon with a film, cuddled close together under a blanket, Robert’s arm draped around Aaron where it belonged. The only problem was Aaron couldn’t concentrate on what was going on on the TV when Robert was perfectly positioned to rub and stroke Aaron’s tummy, sketching little lines and stars and absentminded patterns with a loose wrist and long fingers. It was driving Aaron crazy.

“Robert,” he mumbled, gently pushing Robert’s straying hand away.

“What?” Robert looked down at him, then seemed to realise what he’d been doing. “Oh. Am I bothering you?”

“Only every day,” Aaron smirked.

“Oi,” Robert said, dangling his fingers with a little more intent, grazing along the bottom seam of Aaron’s jumper.

“Don’t,” Aaron warned.

“Don’t what?” Robert asked innocently, as though Aaron could be anything but hyper-aware of his fingers slipping up under Aaron’s hem, skimming the scarred and hair-dusted skin of Aaron’s belly.

“Tickle m – “

Aaron sucked in a breath as Robert did just that, and before long he was desperately wriggling to get away, trapped under the blanket by and with his husband.

“Robert, no, st-stop! Stop or I – “

“You’ll…?” Robert kept at him, mercilessly, relentlessly as Aaron felt his face grow redder and redder. He extricated himself from the blanket finally, tossing it off him and clambering further down the couch, only to feel Robert tug at his clothes again, pulling Aaron so that he fell on his back. Robert landed on top of him, pushing Aaron’s wrists up over his head and pinning them there among the couch cushions. Aaron panted, breath coming hard after the short but sudden tussle, and grinned up at Robert, tilting his hips up.

“Hopin’ to get lucky, is it?” he teased. He pressed back up against Robert’s hold on his wrists, but not seriously, not actually wanting to break free. Anything but that.

Robert’s grip still gentled, his face softening as Aaron’s breath evened out. He couldn’t stop smiling.

“Luckier than this?” Robert asked. He released his hold, stroking down the length of Aaron’s upraised arms to cradle his face in his hands, eyes flicking over Aaron’s features. They settled on Aaron’s own, eventually, their gazes always magnetically drawn.

It should have sounded fake. Charming. Manufactured to garner a specific reaction, a specific reward. That’s what someone else would have thought, looking in on them, Aaron supposed. But he knew better than that. He knew his Robert better than that. And he also knew himself, that he had _never _imagined he could feel loved like this. Loved in a way that needed other, subtler words to describe it. With Robert looking at him like that, Aaron was adored. Cherished.

“I’m the luckiest man alive,” Robert said. Aaron tipped his chin up, and Robert obliged, capturing Aaron’s lips with his own, slowly, sweetly. Aaron left his hands over his head, let Robert drag his own down either side of Aaron’s ribcage, holding him like a precious object.

_Luckiest man alive? _Aaron drew his legs up, criss crossed over Robert to pull him closer.

They could contest the title later.

**7.30PM**

Aaron filled his smile with the last dregs of his wine, flicking his eyes up over the rim of the glass. Robert smiled back at him, chin tucked down, his gaze intense and unwavering. He’d been giving Aaron the eye all through dinner, so much so that Aaron could practically feel the feather touch of his stare. Running up his arms, across his shoulders and chest. His throat when he swallowed, his mouth when he spoke. It was building up behind his skin, five years later and Robert could still do this to him with a steady look and a lift at the corners of his mouth.

“Enjoy it?” Robert asked, nodding to Aaron’s empty plate. Robert had made a risotto for them – nothing too fancy, but executed perfectly. Soft, melt in the mouth chunks of butternut squash, mushrooms diced fine. The rich saltiness of Parmesan cheese. Aaron had learned a bit more about food since being with Robert, and Robert had learned a bit more about the quality to be found in keeping things simple.

“Was great,” Aaron said, and then, because two could play at this game, ran his finger around his plate, picking up a light sheen of sauce and sucking it off his finger. “Any dessert?”

“S’up to you,” Robert said, eyes heavy but sparkling. He pushed back his chair and came around to Aaron’s side of the table, holding his face and leaning down to kiss him. Aaron held onto his elbows, opening his mouth and accepting the slide of Robert’s tongue against his own. He stood up, and Robert took the opportunity to walk them back, pressing Aaron against the kitchen counter, their kiss growing more heated, chests pressed together. Aaron felt that fizzing behind his teeth, that lit-a-sparkler, eating-sherbet, moment-before-the-headliner-arrives feeling that Robert had been drawing out of his body since he first called him an idiot.

Robert’s big hand traced down Aaron’s sides, lowering all the way to his thighs, only a second for Aaron to brace before Robert was lifting him up onto the counter and moving into the space between Aaron’s legs. Aaron kissed down into his mouth, hands in Robert’s hair, bit on Robert’s lower lip and tugged.

Robert moaned. They both breathed heavily between sucking, nibbling kisses, and Aaron heard a soft rain start up outside in the gathering dark.

“Dishes?” he asked, not caring before he managed to get the whole word out.

“Leave them,” Robert said, palming Aaron’s arse and tugging him even closer, Aaron’s cock pressing up against Robert’s stomach. “I want to be with you.”

“Eager. You’ve been with me all day,” Aaron laughed. Robert stole another kiss.

“Yeah,” Robert breathed. “S’been a brilliant day, hasn’t it?”

“The best,” Aaron admitted, like it cost him nothing to do it. Because it didn’t really, giving away this love for free. Trying to get to the bottom of it was as useful as trying to dig a hole in water. It just kept coming back. Filling in. Filling up. “We should have more days like this.”

“In’t over yet though,” Robert said, nosing up Aaron’s stubbled jaw, sucking lightly under his ear. “Is it?”

He drew back, meeting Aaron’s eyes. God he loved his husband. Overwhelmingly, nonsensically, dangerously. He said it once before and hadn’t even realised how much he meant it, how on the money he had been; he loved Robert so much he didn’t know what to do with it. But there was a long list of things to try.

He shook his head, let Robert take him to bed, putting the early into early night. Using every. Single. Moment.

**11.59PM**

Aaron shuddered awake, the bone in his shin ringing, giving the game away. Robert had kicked him awake _again._ Aaron scowled at his husband’s restful face on the pillow opposite, then gave up pretending. He’d be back asleep in no time, it wasn’t a big deal.

He lingered a moment, looking at the parts of Robert exposed outside the blanket. Freckled shoulder, a flash of chest, the mark Aaron had laboured over a few hours earlier, dark. Easily concealed. It’d be there for a few days though, a button for Aaron to press. Aaron looked past Robert to the bedside table. Robert still kept an alarm clock, as though every phone didn’t come with one (and didn’t even need to be turned back or forward for clock changes). 11.59. One minute left until the end of their perfect day, just the two of them.

Monday would bring the next week with it, work and family and responsibilities. Things to do and deepening bags under Robert’s eyes as his work ethic didn’t push him so much to the grindstone as under it. Aaron’s own limbs growing achy from scrapping, the cold weather making the work all the harder. But as long as they got days like this, every now and then…what did any of it matter?

Softly, so as not to disturb him, Aaron laid a kiss against Robert’s cheek.

“I love you,” he whispered, corners of his eyes getting wet, his heart squeezing in his chest.

Robert mumbled unintelligibly, still very much asleep.

Aaron laid his head back down, didn’t watch the clock tick over.

Stayed in their perfect day, a dream to escort him to dreams.


End file.
